Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG Sport revealed at Detroit show

Mercedes Benz has continued its strong performance into 2015 with the latest unveiling of the C 450 AMG Sport at the 2015 NAIAS in Detroit.

The new C 450 AMG sits below the rabid C 63 AMG in the hierarchy, and comes packed with a potent 3.0 twin-turbo V6 powertrain. Following a series of upgrades, output has been boosted to 270kW at 5500rpm, with a mental 517Nm of torque available between 2000-4200rpm.

The V6 is mated to a 4MATIC all-wheel drive system via a revised 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic gearbox, which takes the sporty sedan from 0-100km/h 4.9 seconds, and 5.0 seconds for the wagon version.

Aside from the powertrain, the C 450 AMG models inherit some further sporting credentials, borrowed from the Big-Daddy C 63 AMG. Included in the performance upgrades are: updated front pull rods, adjustable dampers, tweaked front axle carrier and firmer springs. The C 450 also receives new load bearing joints, extra negative camber and revised steering knuckles. The all-wheel drive system has been modified to deliver the power in a 33:67 front to rear ratio.

The C 450 rides on 18-inch alloys with 225/45 front and 245/40 rear tyres, with 360mm front and 320mm rear ventilated steel disc brakes. Aesthetically, the front bumper comes with larger cooling ducts, black side mirrors, an updated grille, darkened chrome exhaust pipes and a small boot spoiler. Changes to the cabin remain include a flat-bottomed steering wheel, red seatbelts with sport seats and alloy pedals rounding out the changes.

Expect to see the C450 AMG in Mercedes showrooms in the coming months. The new variant comes from Mercedes’s new AMG Sport line which has been set up to compete against BMW’s M Performance line.

Alexi is a contributing news journalist and junior road tester at PerformanceDrive. He has a passion and appreciation for the engineering in cars, as well as new technologies that lessen the impact on the environment. His dream cars are an M3 to drive to work, and a LaFerrari for the weekend.